The Activity: There are three activities that look at the three aspects of negative feedback in the GCSE specification.

Associated materials:

Student Task Sheets 1 and 2, extension questions sheet.

GCSE Biology

Negative Feedback Instructions and answers for teachers These instructions should accompany the OCR resource ‘Negative feedback’ activity which supports which supports OCR GCSE Biology.

This activity offers an

opportunity for English

skills development.

Activity 1

Introduces the idea of negative feedback and exemplifies it using temperature control in mammals and

birds. It is a literacy based activity where students have to extract information from text to complete the

feedback diagram on Student Task Sheet 1.

Activity 2 Picture relay, from Maps from memory based on water balance in the body. The students are provided

with a blank outline of the human body showing the brain and urinary system such as the one on Student

Task Sheet 2. The teacher has an A3 copy of the full diagram including the annotation. Students should

be in groups of 3 or 4. The first student from each group looks at the teacher copy for about 1 minute

and then goes back to their group and tells them what to add to the outline. After 2 minutes the next

student from each group is allowed to view the teacher copy for 45 seconds and returns to the group to

add to the diagram. The final member of the group is allowed to view the teacher copy for 30 seconds

and the diagram should be completed. The completed diagram could then be used as the basis for

further questioning.

Extension ideas This is a more challenging worksheet and looks at blood sugar level with reference to diabetes. Prior

teaching about the control of blood sugar levels and diabetes is required.

Suggested answers to Student Task Sheet 1

Negative feedback is the process where a change in a condition from a set level causes a series of

actions that return the condition to the set level. It is how the body keeps conditions within it constant at

the optimum level (homeostasis).

Body temperature in birds and mammals is kept constant by a negative feedback system.

Read the passage below and on the following page and use the information to complete the blank

negative feedback diagram.

Core body temperature remains constant no matter what the temperature of

the surroundings or the activity level of the individual. This is important so

that enzymes have optimum conditions to work in and so the reactions that

they control can be carried out efficiently.

Changes in the temperature of the blood are detected by receptors in a part

of the brain called the hypothalamus and there are receptors in the skin which

also send information to the hypothalamus about the temperature of the skin

surface.

Now complete the diagram below

If receptors in the hypothalamus detect that the temperature has

fallen then impulses are sent to different effectors.

• The muscles at the bottom of the skin hairs or feathers are raised

by small muscles to trap a layer of air near the. Air is an insulator

so this helps to keep heat in.

• Involuntarily muscle contraction starts, called shivering. This

produces more heat due to an increase in the rate of respiration,

which warms the surrounding tissues.

• The blood vessels leading to the skin constrict (get smaller) so

that less blood then flows through these capillaries reducing heat

loss from the skin. This is called vasoconstriction.

These changes cause the body temperature to rise and return to the

optimum level.

Student Task Sheet 2

Blood too dilute Blood too concentrated

Suggested answers to the extension activity

Diabetes is becoming more common. It is caused when the pancreas makes too little insulin. Insulin

increases the uptake of glucose from the blood into the cells of the muscles and liver where it is

converted into glycogen for storage.

The graph shows the blood glucose concentration for two people both given a high glucose meal.

One person suffers from diabetes.

Which person is it?

Person A

Explain why you have selected that person.

They have higher level of glucose in their blood plasma after the meal

Their blood glucose level only slowly goes down and does not return to the original level

Use the graph to explain why blood glucose concentration is an example of negative feedback.

The level of blood sugar goes up and then returns to the same level as before the meal

Draw a line on the graph showing the concentration of insulin for person A.

Credit as long as it is:

• Significantly below the level of person B

• It does not go up substantially

Explain why you have put it in that position.

Someone with diabetes does not increase the amount of insulin produced when blood sugar goes

up and/or the blood sugar does not go down very much so there can’t be a lot of insulin produced

Using information from both graphs explain why the blood glucose level fell in person B.

• As the blood glucose level increased in Person B so did the amount of insulin produced

• Insulin promotes the uptake of glucose by liver and muscle cells

• Where it is converted into glycogen

• Hence the reduction in blood glucose level

Another hormone called glucagon has the opposite effect to insulin in that it changes glycogen into

glucose. Produce a diagram to show how insulin and glucagon work to maintain a constant blood

glucose level by negative feedback.

Further Extension Activities

TES site

For middle ability:

http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/BINGO-starter-plenary-3002695/

For lower ability:

http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Homeostasis-worksheet-6013583/

Revision sheet:

http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Summary-notes-for-homeostasis-6055725/

Abpi has some interesting resources both at 14-16 and some for 16-18 which might be useful as

extension work.

Blood sugar

http://www.abpischools.org.uk/page/modules/hormones/horm6.cfm?coSiteNavigation_allTopic=1

Water balance

http://www.abpischools.org.uk/page/modules/homeostasis_kidneys/kidneys6.cfm?coSiteNavigation_allT

opic=1

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and the decision to use them lies with the individual teacher. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the content, OCR cannot be held responsible

for any errors or omissions within these resources.

© OCR 2014 - This resource may be freely copied and distributed, as long as the OCR logo and this message remain intact and OCR is acknowledged as the

originator of this work.

OCR acknowledges the use of the following content: Maths and English icons: Air0ne/Shutterstock.com, Page 3 Shivering cartoon and Page 4 Exercising cartoon

dedMazay/Shutterstock.com, Page 5 and Page 6 Human body image (modified) Turovsky/Shutterstock.com

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